Esthwaite Water

It also hosts a picturesque boathouse cafe, serving up delicious hot & cold food & drink. At 280 acres, year round access and a choice of boat or bank fishing, Esthwaite has something for everybody no mater what your level of experience. Check out our Services tab to find out how we can get you fishing. Originally a Rainbow Trout farm (2010), Esthwaite is getting back to its best with a new approa

ch to stocking since 2017 when the business changed hands. With 10,000 pounds of top quality 2-5 pound Brown Trout being stocked annually and a catch and release policy the trout fishing is improving every year. We are an "open water" meaning we are open to Black Beck to the north and Cunsey Beck to the south allowing the free movement of migratory species. This means that we can only target trout within season, 15th March to 30th September. However unlike most of our peers we allow trout fishing using any method (fly, spin or worm) so even complete novices can catch a trout in season. Esthwaite is also legendary for its Pike fishing, the lake record being very close to the British Record at 46 pounds. Again the Pike fishing is improving year on year, rapidly recovering from the 2010-17 period when trout stocking was patchy. As a result of our stocking policy introduced for the 2017/18 season we have gone from 3 fish over twenty pounds to 40 fish over twenty pounds in the 2019/20 season. Up to the end of December in this 2020/21 season we are at 24 fish over twenty pounds with the biggest fish going 29 pounds 6 oz. By our estimation our big females are putting on 3 - 5 pounds per season. Again to continue building the fishery we have a strict self imposed pike season, 1st October to 31st March. This leaves our pike to spawn in peace in the spring and prevents premature mortality caused by being caught during the warm summer months. We allow fly, lure and dead bait fishing in season but none of these methods are suitable for novices unless you are with someone experienced at handling 20 pound + pike or one of our experienced guides. I have heard Esthwaite described as "the best natural coarse fishery in the North" on many occasions, likened to "Ireland in the 80's". For me its clear that as our coarse fishermen experiment, trying out new techniques and areas, the better it gets. The best days fishing I have heard of recently was a 300 pound bag of bream with 80 fish in the 2 - 6 pound range and we have had bream to 15 pounds. Roach to 2 pounds and hybrids to 6 pounds are also on the cards. The most abundant fish in Esthwaite however is everyone's first fish, the humble Perch. It is common for a guided perch trip to yield 150 fish, a fantastic family day out. We point our novice anglers in this direction in high summer when the trout are not biting. We offer year round coarse fishing from the bank and there are no restrictions on bait though we would ask that if you are catching trout or pike to change your tactics.